Biologically !nspired Design: A novel interdisciplinary biology-engineering curriculum

以生物为灵感的设计是一个新兴的领域，具有相当大的潜力为人类设计和工程中的各种问题提供创新的解决方案。生物学家和工程师都面临着确定设计标准的问题，但每个学科都从独特的角度来处理设计。通过采用共同的语言和观点的融合，学生们展示了跨学科的过程，以克服通常阻碍真正的多学科合作的障碍。通过问题解决练习，他们学习如何使用设计过程来创建基于生物的系统或原型，以解决特定的工程问题并测试生物特性的假设功能。利用课堂观察、现场认知研究、课堂实验和对学生设计产品的详细分析，本项目集中于五个学习目标：(1)创新设计的新技术，(2)跨学科沟通技能，(3)关于学生核心培训之外的领域的知识，(4)独特的跨学科设计过程，以及(5)将现有技术知识应用于新学科的技术。通过将自然视为受人尊敬的导师，更多地欣赏自然系统中的信息，促进了保护和可持续发展的努力，以保护生物多样性。生物启发的设计是解决现实世界问题的有效方案。该项目还建立了评估指标来衡量设计教育结果，并实证验证BID教育平台的成功程度。这是通过评估该项目的主要主题：创造力、沟通、跨领域的知识转移和设计技能来进行的。评估工作还评估了学生的差异，作为其背景的函数，对于小组项目，作为背景多样性的函数。

Biologically-inspired design is an emerging field with considerable potential to provide innovative solutions to a variety of problems in human design and engineering. Biologists and engineers each face the problem of identifying design criteria, yet each discipline approaches design from a unique perspective. Through the adoption of a common language and a merging of perspectives, students exemplify the interdisciplinary process in overcoming the barriers that often inhibit true multidisciplinary collaborations. Through problem solving exercises, they learn how to use the design process to create biologically-based systems or prototypes that solve specific engineering problems and test hypothesized functions of biological properties. Employing classroom observations, in situ cognitive studies, experiments conducted in class, and detailed analysis of student design products, this project is focusing on five learning objectives: (1) novel techniques for creative design, (2) interdisciplinary communication skills, (3) knowledge about domains outside students' core training, (4) a uniquely interdisciplinary design process, and (5) techniques for applying existing technical knowledge to a new discipline. By treating nature as a respected mentor, a greater appreciation for the information found in natural systems promotes conservation and sustainability efforts to preserve biodiversity. Biologically inspired designs are efficient solutions to real-world problems.This project is also establishing assessment metrics to measure design education outcomes, and to empirically validate the degree of success of the BID education platform. This is being undertaken through evaluations of the project's key themes: creativity, communication, cross-domain knowledge transfer, and design skills. The evaluation work is also assessing student differences as functions of their backgrounds and, for group projects, as a function of the diversity of backgrounds.